Lessons learnt from stress events on SME's business continuity practices: survey evidence of recommendations for practitioners

Looking back at the negative impact of COVID-19 on businesses, this study aims to understand the kind of stress levels experienced within SMEs and how such businesses could bounce back from stressful times as well as a survey evidence of recommendations to improve. In order to get a comprehensive view of the small business context, the study uses a qualitative approach. The approach includes in-depth interviews with the businesses' owners and analysis of case studies collected from primary date for triangulation purposes. The findings show that some businesses already have essential strategies to handle stressful situations and thus can resume their operations, whether or not there are any specific patterns. However, many others do not have any strategies. This study provides practical implication for subject businesses to improve their capacity to deal with stressful occurrences by bringing in new ideas. Some specific lessons are built for business owners to enhance their business skills remotely. This research adds to knowledge by meticulously studying how such businesses react to stressful events and hence, improve their reactions. The unique knowledge that SMEs get from practical experiences is a way to make impactful decisions that add value to their businesses during hard times.